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Digest of sports enterprise stories for weekend use, moving for March 8-9. For questions, please call (212) 621-1630. For repeats, call the service desk at (800) 838-4616.
NFL
FBN_FREE AGENCY
NEW YORK — Let the bidding binges begin. NFL free agency begins Tuesday, with each team having another $10 million or so to spend thanks to the increased salary cap. Such standouts as receivers Eric Decker and Julian Edelman, defensive end Michael Bennett and cornerback Alterraun Verner figure to draw quick attention. By Pro Football Writer Barry Wilner. UPCOMING: 900 words, photos. ADVANCE for use in weekend editions of March 8-9.
FBN--2011 ROOKIES WAIT
Owners and players settled on a rookie pay scale in the latest collective bargaining agreement to minimize the soaring signing bonuses for the top picks in the draft given to players who hadn't even put on an NFL uniform yet, a trend that bothered teams and frustrated veteran players. The 2011 class has completed the third year of those contracts under the new structure and entered a window during which teams can renegotiate extensions. But will that happen at all? Even for stars from that draft like Cam Newton, A.J. Green and J.J. Watt, teams don't have much rush to give them more money since they can exercise a fifth-year option on their deals at bargain rates. By Pro Football Writer Dave Campbell. UPCOMING 800 words, photos. ADVANCE for use in weekend editions of March 8-9.
With:
FBN_Free Agency Capsules
FBN_Franchise-Transition List
FBN--2014 Franchise Players
FBN--2014 Franchise Tag Figures
MOTORSPORTS
CAR--F1-TAME CARS
Formula One's latest changes mean the sexy purr of engines and the violent throttle of speed won't quite be what they used to be. The same title talk and garage terminology has surrounded preseason testing as usual, but the normally boisterous roar of auto racing's premier engines has been slightly subdued. While F1 moves forward trying to improve its environmental footprint, that may mean a step backward when it comes to the genre-defining characteristics that embolden it. Get used to it. By Paul Logothetis. UPCOMING: 600 words, photos. ADVANCE for use in weekend editions of March 8-9.
With
CAR--F1-LOTUS
The Formula One season hasn't even started, and it's already looking like a long one for Lotus. This year is unlikely to bear resemblance to last season's impressive campaign when the British team opened with victory at the Australian Grand Prix. Just getting through F1's first race of the season seems to be the goal. By Paul Logothetis. UPCOMING: 400 words, photos. ADVANCE for use in weekend editions of March 8-9.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
BKC--MUSSELMAN'S PASSION
TEMPE, Ariz. — Breakfast at the Musselman house came with box scores and game film running in the background, evenings filled with discussions of zone defenses and diagrams of offensive plays. Immersed in basketball since before he could walk, it's no wonder Arizona State coach Eric Musselman has become one of college basketball's best assistant coaches after a long stint in the pros. By Basketball Writer John Marshall. UPCOMING: 900 words, photos. ADVANCE for use in weekend editions of March 8-9.
BASEBALL
BBA--HELLO CANO
PEORIA, Ariz. — Standing in the middle of the clubhouse holding court with fellow Latino players, Felix Hernandez could not allow himself to walk away from this conversation without a resolution. He was not going to let Robinson Cano get in the last word. For a rare time in their history, the Seattle Mariners can lay claim to having one of the most dominant starting pitchers in baseball and one of the top offensive talents in the game on the same roster at the same time. Will it lead to success? Seattle spent $240 million on Cano believing it will. By Tim Booth. UPCOMING: 900 words, photos. ADVANCE for use in weekend editions of March 8-9.
BBO--Talking Baseball
SURPRISE, Ariz. — George Brett remembers sitting around the clubhouse with teammates long after games ended talking baseball, often with a bunch of beer and a bag of potato chips. That is just the way it was for the Hall of Fame third baseman and old-school guys without all the amenities common now for major leaguers, such as chef-prepared meals and the modern technology providing constant access to everything else outside the game. Sure, players still talk baseball and spend plenty of time together. But when and how has definitely changed. By Stephen Hawkins. UPCOMING for weekend release. 900 words, photos. ADVANCE for use in weekend editions of March 8-9.
Also:
AP Sportlight. SENT. ADVANCE for use in weekend editions of March 8-9.
The AP
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